I actually used to live in Luton SE of you years back. I get far more virgin nude models more than the majority, and my advice is simple:

(a) you are going to be nervous no matter what for your 1st time, I suggest you bring your own music for your shoot that you like to listen too, its a great distraction from being under the spotlight in your B-Day suit.

...If you start to feel tense, take a moment to close your eyes and mentally remove yourself by listening to the music ~ it works wonders to relax.

(b) wear soft clothing that does not bind / or that may leave marks in your skin. For future nude work, control any tanlines you might get from being outdoors / ie: sunscreen or consider your daily exposure to direct sunlight.

(c) there are all types of art nudes, ask your photographer make-up prefered and about your nails / toes colors he may prefer or not. and don't feel too silly practicing in front of a mirror ~ dance poses ~ or ones you 've seen in magazines.

(d) enjoy yourself ! ~ you might find a freedom in it you've yet to discover.

Your first nude shoot should be fun. Go with knowledge of what kinds of nude you want to do, and have fun with it. If your going to be scared or nervous thru the whole shoot, it will show up in the photos. Just remember, the suit that god gave you is the best suit you could ever wear.

PR Zone wrote: I've never been a model or a woman, but - for me - common sense would dictate that you are REALLY clear what your limits are BEFORE you shoot.

Get there 10-15 minutes earlier than needed and, while you still have a t-shirt and underpants on, get the photographer to give you an idea of what they want to achieve

Have fun :-)

What?
No.

I agree getting their early.. hell it surprises me every time when they do as I have only had a handful of girls show up early..

However... I do not want to spend time taking out pantie lines and or bra lines on a model that might decide to be 'lady like' and wear underwear to the shoot.

The model should know (if she is professional enough) what she should and should not wear.. AND IF I am paying.. and I have to wait for lines to disappear... I'm not paying for that time.. so.. if a model really wants to sit around with me until lines disappear, that's fine with me. (though sometimes I schedule how much time I can shoot and it might eat into her potential max income she could get from the shoot).

LaurenJadeMills wrote: The photographer seems like a lovely guy, and I will have a chaperone with me so no worries on that side.

He might seem like a lovely guy but have you taken up references?

Don't be fooled into thinking everything will be fine just because you're taking a girlfriend (or anybody else) with you. ALWAYS check references before agreeing to a shoot with someone you don't know, nude or clothed, chaperoned or not!

My advice would be to bring a female friend who is willing to pose with you. I shot a model first time solo and she could not relax. That was on a Friday and on the following Monday she brought a friend. The chemistry was great. You can take a look at my port to see them.

The first time is understandably scary, you're exposing yourself to essentially a stranger, although in a controlled, professional & (Assumably) safe environment & there's no reason to believe otherwise. Artists want the Model to feel comfortable & secure.

There can be great liberation in doing nude for the model, what you bring to it by & large all depends on how comfortable you are. Look at some classic nudes, paintings, photographs from the last 120 years, perhaps there's a particular style or pose that strikes you? This would be a good starting point.

Always remember even while nude in the studio, it's you, who in reality controls the shoot. Let your attitude, emotions, & form be your elements, play in the light, make natural light your friend, the shadows your accessories, wear the spirit which you bring to aide in light & air.

Also feelings & emotions the camera clearly sees, above all have a great shoot, if something doesn't feel right you're under no obligation to go through with it.

However when we face the unknown, we often realise there was never anything to fear.

My recommendation is to walk into the shoot knowing your body naked and making the shoot about you. Walk in with the idea that you want to the most beautiful pictures of yourself nude so you will have them for the rest of your life.

3) Make sure the person that you bring with you is completely comfortable with seeing every part of you from the top of you head to the bottoms of your feet, and is comfortable with a stranger seeing every part of you.

4) Make sure you are comfortable with the person you bring seeing you show a stranger every part of you. (Otherwise, select someone that you are completely comfortable with).

Pit falls:

1) Your boyfriend/girlfriend/husband/wifey may not be the best choice for this in the long run. Couples often fight and say mean crap to each other, and could twist what happens at your shoot into something different to make you feel bad about your shoot.

2) Besties (BFF) How good of a friend are they really? Friends often stab each other in the back, or could be just fair weather friends.

3) Attitudes, negative attitudes on a set can quickly kill the mood for everyone, like locus spread quickly and mess things up.

Conclusion:

In thinking of the worst/most provocative pose you can get in, not saying that it's the kind of pose you would do...say on your back with your knees spread wide to your should and your fingers spreading your vagina open. Would you be comfortable with the person you bring with you to the shoot being able to see all the way up to your tonsils? If you are not comfortable, it will show in your expressions making for questionable photographic results.

Don't be fooled into thinking everything will be fine just because you're taking a girlfriend (or anybody else) with you. ALWAYS check references before agreeing to a shoot with someone you don't know, nude or clothed, chaperoned or not!

Really? This is clearly spreading fear....POSTER, please discard this post.

Be positive, go with optimism of creating great works of art. Hold your head and chest high. Show a brilliant smile and the power of your self worth. Let the beauty in you radiate before you. Your photographer will feed off your glow empowering him to be better at his craft than he ever has.

Bearz Images wrote: The first time is understandably scary, you're exposing yourself to essentially a stranger, although in a controlled, professional & (Assumably) safe environment & there's no reason to believe otherwise. Artists want the Model to feel comfortable & secure.
...

There is no reason for your first nude shoot to be scary.

If a nude shoot is something that scares you, don't do it.

If you want to do a nude shoot, then don't be scared.

I think some models are scared only because they read online that they should be scared.

Bearz Images wrote: Apparently you've never been an 18 year old woman...?

Correct, I have never been an 18 year old woman, but I have been on the other side of the camera for many a model's first nude shoot.

There is no reason the model should be any more nervous than at a clothed shoot.

If the model is uncomfortable with being photographed nude, then she should not be posing nude.

Being nervous at a nude shoot can be a self fulfilling prophecy.

My experience is that you should start with the expected level of nudity. There should be at most a minute or so of nervousness, which goes away as the business of the shoot starts.

Those who worry about first time nude shoots sometimes recommend that the shoot start as a clothed shoot, and that articles of clothing be incrementally removed until the desired level of nudity is reached. In my opinion, this can stretch the normal minute of unease to a full hour or more.

I do agree that there are minor differences between a clothed shoot and a nude shoot. For a nude shoot, the model should avoid wearing tight clothing (including tight underwear and bra) just prior to the shoot. These can leave lines on the skin which can take some time to fade.

Really? This is clearly spreading fear....POSTER, please discard this post.

So, you're advocating that a novice internet model shouldn't take up references before working with someone she doesn't know. Please give at least one good reason why she should cast such a sensible and effective precaution aside ...

So, you're advocating that a novice internet model shouldn't take up references before working with someone she doesn't know. Please give at least one good reason why she should cast such a sensible and effective precaution aside ...

Why would a clothed shoot require less checking than a nude shoot?

If you check references before a clothed shoot, then you should do the same for a nude shoot. If you don't check before a clothed shoot, why bother checking before a nude shoot?

Keep I mind that someone who intends to attack the model is probably willing to lie about the nature of the shoot. Just because a shoot is advertised as being clothed, doesn't mean it is safe.

My experience is that people involved in nude shoots, and people involved in pornography are generally very reliable, and extremely careful about being 100% legal. When you are in a business where the local police score points for arresting you, there is a strong incentive not to give them any legitimate reasons to do so.

I am one of those photographers who is nervous working with nude models. Though many photographers aren't, there are those of us who are, so you both may have a case of the nerves. Relax and have a good time. Wear loose clothing before the shoot, and have a smock or robe to wear between sets. Just pretend you are wearing clothes and feel good about the experience. Modeling in the nude will take some getting used to, and I'm not sure one ever completely rids themselves of the jitters, I certainly haven't.

If you do find yourself getting embarrassed and all giggly at first, just go with the flow. Get it out of your system and then go on with the work, which is all this is, a job. A good photographer, especially if he knows it's your first nude shoot, will allow for a little bit of embarrassment and just incorporate it into his shoot plan. Some of the most delightful pictures occur at these moments.

And even if you'r not embarrassed, be ready to laugh a lot anyway. When they're working right, nude shoots are the most fun of all.

T B O L wrote: So, you're advocating that a novice internet model shouldn't take up references before working with someone she doesn't know. Please give at least one good reason why she should cast such a sensible and effective precaution aside ...

You made that assumption, what you are doing is casting fear and doubt instead of being supportive. She has already said that she was bringing someone with her, so there was not reason to worry about that.

Read the initial post. She said the photographer is fine and she has someone with her, so that is not what is making her nervous.

Female models are still women, and some women have confidence issues when it comes to their figures. How about being encouraging and supportive.

Please try to become a more positive and supportive person to those seeking advice.

Hard Nine wrote: You made that assumption, what you are doing is casting fear and doubt instead of being supportive. She has already said that she was bringing someone with her, so there was not reason to worry about that.

Read the initial post. She said the photographer is fine and she has someone with her, so that is not what is making her nervous.

Female models are still women, and some women have confidence issues when it comes to their figures. How about being encouraging and supportive.

Please try to become a more positive and supportive person to those seeking advice.

I notice you didn't respond to my question, which was:

So, you're advocating that a novice internet model shouldn't take up references before working with someone she doesn't know. Please give at least one good reason why she should cast such a sensible and effective precaution aside ...

Please don't attempt to evade the question by spouting further nonsense.

To the OP - in the UK there are modelling sites which make it very easy for you to establish who a photographer has worked with and to contact those models directly for an off the record reference. If you're not aware of those sites PM me and I'll link you to them.

Taking up references helps build a model's confidence. If the references are good, which is most often the case, two or three models consistently saying how considerate/respectful/supportive the photographer is helps calm nerves significantly.

On the other hand references can provide you with the ability to filter out those photographers that are perhaps less interested in the model's welfare during a shoot. If you take up references and act on them you're far more likely to have a positive and fulfilling experience with your chosen photographer.

I think it depends on the shoot. Check with the photographer, there are times when it's best to keep moving around, and others when keeping still for several shots, or longer may be required. For some shoots (nude and clothed) having the model make slight adjustments in the pose to find the light just, or hold a position while I move camera position or tweak a light is often much more important than constant movement.

+1

The most common direction that I use is "Stay there" while I move for a different angle of the same pose.

AmGlamStudios wrote: My advice would be to bring a female friend who is willing to pose with you. I shot a model first time solo and she could not relax. That was on a Friday and on the following Monday she brought a friend. The chemistry was great. You can take a look at my port to see them.

It might work great if she can arrange it, but finding a friend willing to pose nude for photos to be posted on the web or where ever (UK photographers don't need a release) may not be easy.

mbdee wrote: Interesting that most who responded are respectfully photographers.... go with your instinct. There are many ways to be a model without taking your clothes off. Do what iscomfortable for you.

Nice.. that wasn't the question.. the question was "I'm doing my first nude shoot.. advice?"

Not... is there other genres out there besides nudes..

That being said.

LaurenJadeMills wrote: Thank you for all of your advice.

For the time being, I have chosen to not go through with the shoot.

However, I have taken all of the advice in and if I ever change my mind, I will remember what I have been told.

Sorry if I have wasted anyones time, but I am very grateful for everyones advice.

AmGlamStudios wrote: My advice would be to bring a female friend who is willing to pose with you. I shot a model first time solo and she could not relax. That was on a Friday and on the following Monday she brought a friend. The chemistry was great. You can take a look at my port to see them.

I've done about 25 first time nudes with models who were alone. All, went nicely. One brought a friend. It went fine, but the friend got bored and they left after an hour (right when I told her it was time to put some clothes on!). She came back later, alone, and we had much more productive shoots.

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